Easier To Run
by T-Kiwi02
Summary: When Zora comes back from vacation, she's not herself anymore.  Knowing that something must've happened while she was back in Oregon, her friends try to figure out exactly what happened... Full summary inside.
1. Prologue

**Full Summary:**

_The cast of So Random took a month off from filming to go back to their hometowns, but Zora comes back from Oregon she's changed. Instead of being her fun-loving, quirky self, she's quiet and begins to withdraw from her friends. Knowing that something must've happened while she was back in Oregon, her friends try to figure out exactly what happened, but what they find out is nothing what they expected._

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><p><strong>Prologue:<strong>

There was only one way Zora could describe the atmosphere around her family and friends as they walked through the airport - awkward. Her parents, so proud of the person she became and her work on television, were quiet. Neither of them talked about how wonderful it was to have her home or that they wish they could find a place to settle down in Los Angeles so they could be near their daughter. Though Zora would protest it, saying that she did not want her family to get uprooted because of her job, she still missed debating the issue.

Her brother, always so attentive to his younger sister and messing around with his friends, was just as quiet as his parents. His attention was not toward the fact his sister was leaving again for a few months, in fact, his attention wasn't even in the airport. He wouldn't say it, but Zora knew that his mind was still stuck in the past, on _that_ day. The day everything changed for herself and her hometown friends. His hazel eyes looked off into space as he walked through the airport, bumping into the occasional person and muttering a quiet apology.

What made the atmosphere seem the most awkward, Zora thought, was that her brother's two best friends, Rocky and Marty, were just as quiet as everyone else. Had things been normal, the two would have started wrestling for fun right there in the middle of the airport. Marty, who everyone in town saw as nothing but a delinquent like his brother, but was just a misguided carefree soul and normally the big joker of his friends, was deadly silent. His eyes were drawn back and he looked older. Though everyone else was silent as they walked, they had talked over the past two weeks. Marty had been silent since the news got out. He would not even let anyone know what was on his mind.

Zora saw Rocky look at his best friend worriedly. It was really bothering Rocky to not hear even a whisper come out of his friend. It only made Rocky more quiet as well. He had tried to get his friend to talk, but had given up after seeing no progress. Rocky turned and glanced at Zora, giving her a soft smile. It had been the first genuine smile Zora had seen out of Rocky in the past two weeks.

They reached the gate for Zora's flight just in time for everyone to say their goodbyes to the normally quirky brunette. After giving a quick hug to Marty and her parents, she stood in front of her brother. Clyde suddenly pulled her into a hug, and she hugged him back. The siblings remained in their hug for what felt like a long time, not wanting to be separated from another after all that happened. When they pulled away Clyde looked at his sister with the second smile she'd seen that day.

"Don't cause too much trouble off-camera, okay?"

Zora nodded and turned to Rocky. Just as she did the others, she hugged her friend. The hug was longer than the ones she shared with Marty and her parents, but it did not seem as long as the one she shared with her brother. The hug was over and Rocky's hand remained on her shoulder. He gave her another small smile.

"Don't get yourself into too much trouble," he joked, almost repeating what Clyde said to her. His smile softened. "And, you know, if you need to talk about anything, just call or text or Skype me."

Zora nodded once more, only this time with a small smile of her own. "Thanks, and I will."

With one more goodbye to her family and friends she turned and boarded the plane. Not long after she settled into her seat, the plane began to get ready for takeoff, and the small bit of hope Zora had for going back to Hollywood diminished. She knew the flight back was going to be torture; the usually short two and a half hour flight was going to feel like a lifetime for the 15-year old. And as the plane hoisted itself into the air, Zora realized she was dreading going back. After what had happened, it was going to be hard to continue living life as she had before. Nothing was going to be the same.

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><p><strong><em>Okay, so there you have it! The prologue. And I should tell you that this is a crossover with a movie, but I'm not telling you which one, at least not yet. If anyone has any guesses, let me know in a review. I will reveal which movie it is in a later chapter, hehehe. So yeah, please review! Otherwise I won't know if you like it! :)<em>**


	2. Chapter 1

**_Thanks to RogueRecruit for your review! I really appreciate it, like, a lot! So anyway, here's the first chapter, enjoy!_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1:<strong>

Grady pulled into his parking spot outside of Condor Studios for the first time in four long weeks. While he enjoyed taking a vacation with his family to go visit their family back in Miami, he missed his friends dearly. He missed his crazy antics with Nico, listening to Tawni talk about herself, Sonny meddling in everyone's business or "Sonny-ing it up" as they called it, and to top it off, he missed the high energy level of the youngest, Zora. Together the five of them were not only the _stars_ of So Random, they _were_ So Random; on screen and off.

Smiling at the thought of seeing his friends Grady got out of his car. He wasn't much different than three years ago, only having lost a bit of the baby-fat he retained in his teens. But the female fans had noticed his looks had gotten more mature and were all over him, and Nico for that matter, just as much as they were Chad Dylan Cooper. The only difference was that Grady and Nico weren't in a relationship going into it's fourth year, of course, both boys had eyes for their own certain girl, but neither had courage to say anything. Grady was going to change that, though. He and his older brother Grant had talked over their time in Miami and Grady realized he needed to do something before someone else came into the picture. Yes, Grady wasn't going to hold his feelings in any longer.

"Hey G!"

Grady turned at the sound of his best friend's voice. His smile got bigger as the two slapped hands and hugged. "Hey man. How was your break?"

Nico shrugged. "Ah, you know, it was cool. Lots of cookouts with the family and all that. How 'bout you, you look like you got burned in that Miami sun, haha."

"Ha, yeah," Grady said. "That's one thing that's never changed. One day in the sun and I look like a lobster."

The two started walking toward the door. Nico put his hands in his pockets. "So did you talk to Sonny or Tawni at all?" Grady nodded. "So you heard about how Tawni and her parents went to the farm for a week?"

Grady laughed. "Yeah, yeah I did. Got an earful from Tawni about the smells and getting up early. And the animals."

"Haha, yeah, me too man."

Grady stared ahead at nothing in particular, putting his hands in his pockets. His smile faltered a bit as he looked back over at Nico. "So, um, did you talk to Zora at all?"

Nico's smile faltered as he stopped walking and thought about the younger girl. After a moment he shook his head. "No, actually. I don't think I've talked to her since before we all left. Did you?"

Grady shook his head, his blonde hair messing up more than usual. "No. That's why I was wondering if you did."

"Well, don't sweat it," Nico said. The two walked into the air-conditioned studio. "She probably had girl-talks with Sonny and Tawni all month long."

"Who had girl-talks with us?"

"Hey Sonny, hey Tawni," Grady said to the approaching girls. Both girls looked more tan from all their time outside, making Grady envious of their ability to tan while he burned.

"Oh, we were just saying how Zora probably talked to you two all month," Nico said. "Since neither Grady or I have talked to her since we left for vacation."

"Actually, we haven't talked to her either," Sonny said, her smile falling.

"Yeah," Tawni said. "We were just about to ask you two if you've talked to her, but apparently you haven't."

Sonny gave a small smile. "Well, I mean, she was probably having too much fun with her friends at home. After all, she sees us all the time."

Grady attempted to smile back. "Yeah."

"You're probably right Sonny," Tawni said. "Let's go. She's probably waiting to pop out of the sarcophagus to give us all 'welcome-back' heart attacks."

The four walked down the studio halls, taking in the familiar path they missed while they were away. They tried not to act like it, but all four were worried about why they hadn't heard from their younger friend. Even if she had been too busy to talk long, she would've at least texted them once or so. It was unlike the 15-year old, especially as she looked up to them and thought of them as family. They all felt the same way about her and each other. Eager to hear the shout of joy from the girl popping out of the sarcophagus (that she still fit inside of), the four quickened their pace until they reached the Prop House doors. When they opened the doors, however, they got what they least expected.

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><p><strong><em>Please leave some reviews! Like I mentioned before, I really appreciate it and it lets me know whether or not you like the story! <em>**

**_Plus... you get cookies if you do! xD Peace out sucka's!_**


	3. Chapter 2

**_Heyy! So I wanna thank kfodom, LeMo77, JoeWeasley, JuicyJams, iStemiFan1, and RogueRecruit for their reviews! *hands all reviewers cookies* It really means a lot! I also really appreciate anyone who even just read the fanfic! So I apologize for the wait, I'm not a Dean's List student for nothing, haha. But yeah, school kinda gets in the way, but hopefully the next chapter will be up in the next few days. So, enjoy this chapter! :)_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2:<strong>

Tawni was one of the original cast members of So Random, along with Nico, Grady, and Zora. She was only twelve back then, as were Nico and Grady. Zora was a very energetic 9-year old, but she had matured within the first two years of the show. Not so much in physical appearance, but in her mind. No matter how grown up she tried to act at times, her immature pranking side always had its way of making itself known. In all the years Tawni knew Zora, she couldn't remember a time she saw her young friend without a smile or mischievous smirk on her face, except for the time Zora found out her crush, Wesley, was actually into Sonny instead of her.

Zora looked upset then, but what Tawni saw as she walked into the Prop House wasn't even close to upset. The younger girl hadn't even acknowledged her friends' entrance. There was no readable expression on her face, and she looked paler than when she had left. Her eyes were glazed over and she looked as if her mind was wandering off to some far away place. The girl sitting in front of the four older teens was not the eccentric girl that left for Oregon four weeks ago.

Sonny was the first to take a step forward. "Hey Zora."

The girl addressed jumped at the sound of her friend's voice. She looked at her friends, startled at their sudden appearance. She shifted in her seat, uncomfortably, as if she didn't belong there.

"Hey," she responded quietly.

That response was the only sign Tawni needed to become worried. Even if Zora had been in a trance, seeing her friends would bring on a much more energetic reaction; not a quiet, one-word greeting.

Tawni and Sonny sat across from Zora, while Nico and Grady remained standing, the four just looking at their friend awkwardly.

"So Z, you must've had loads of fun on break," Nico said. "We didn't get to talk to you at all."

Zora winced as Nico spoke those words, which didn't go unnoticed by her friends. She mustered up a small, apologetic smile. "Heh, yeah. I spent a lot of time with my brother and friends."

"So what'd you do?" Sonny asked.

"Any cute boys?" Tawni added, teasing the younger girl. Tawni smirked at the hardened look that appeared on Grady's face.

"Well, um, nothing special," Zora said. Her friends all continued to look at her, expecting more from her. She was normally very detailed about what she did when she visited home, and she always had something _special _to talk about. Zora caught their looks. "_Really_. All we did was go swimming, camped one night, and mostly hung out at Rocky and Sam's house."

"That's _it_?" Tawni asked.

Zora zoned out for a few seconds before answering. "Pretty much."

"But you always have more to tell us," Grady said.

"Not this time."

As she answered, Tawni noticed she casted her eyes downward, like there was something she was hiding from them. Tawni grew more worried about her friend. All Tawni could think about was what could have possibly happened that changed the behavior of their young friend. Her thoughts were interrupted by Zora suddenly stood up. All four pairs of eyes cast to her. She looked at her friends, a small apologetic look on her face.

"I'm gonna go call my brother," she said. "I told him I'd call once I was settled in."

Without another word Zora quickly walked out of the room. Tawni looked at her friends.

"There's something she's not telling us." Sonny nodded, as well as Nico and Grady.

"Yeah, but why?" Nico asked.

"More importantly," Sonny said, "_what_ is she not telling us?"

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><p><strong><em>Again, I hope you all enjoyed! And I will update as soon as I can. And remember, reviewers get cookies! :D<em>**


	4. Chapter 3

**_Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I got pretty sick last week and my head was just like 'ugghhhh' so, yeah. Anyways, thanks to SpitFireMist, Fergus2013, Vernie, kfodom, and RogueRecruit for your reviews! *hands out cookies* I don't wanna keep rambling, so here's the next chapter! _**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong>

Zora flopped on the couch in the girls' dressing room, closing her eyes and sighing. She thought she had been ready to see her friends today, after her Skype chat with Rocky and Marty the night before. They had told her to just not think about it while she was in Hollywood because at least she didn't live near the constant reminder.

"Out of sight, out of mind," Marty had said. "Should be easier for you to move on."

Zora had two words to say to Marty next time she talked to him. Yeah. Right.

Sitting up Zora pulled out her phone and hit speed dial one. She pressed the phone to her ear, trying to push the memories from flooding into her head once more as she listened to the ringing.

"Zora? What's up sis?"

"Clyde, I've only been here for a day and I'm beginning to lose it!"

"Whoa, what do you mean?"

Zora stood up and began to pace, she was oblivious to the four heads peeking into the room. "I mean, I'm not ready to be back! I can't just act like nothing happened! I keep having flashbacks and every time I close my eyes it's like I'm there again."

"Zor, you gotta just think of something else. I mean, it's like Marty said-"

"I know what Marty said! 'Out of sight, out of mind.' It's not as easy as it sounds Clyde! Just because I don't see Mrs. Tooney everyday doesn't mean I don't still feel guilty, or traumatized from what happened."

Clyde sighed on the other end. "I know, I know. I guess I don't really agree with Marty, but it does sound easier to think of it that way."

"It does sound easier, but it's not. I keep thinking that it should've... never-mind." Zora finally sat down once more, wiping her eyes. "I don't think I can do this."

"You can. I'm not sure if it's gonna get easier, but you gotta pull through. Yeah, it's a horrible thing that happened, but we can't let it ruin the rest of our lives."

"I know, and before you say it, I know it wasn't our fault, but it feels like it."

"Yeah, it does." The siblings just listened to the silence on the other ends for a few moments. "Look sis, I really don't wanna cut you off, but I'm actually still at school now. Lunch is over and well, rules have gotten more strict, so I better get going."

Zora sighed and sat back. "Okay. I don't need you getting in trouble because of me."

"It's all gonna be okay eventually Zora," Clyde said. "I know you know that. Just... promise me you'll call me or the guys, or talk to your friends if you need too. Don't bottle everything up."

"Don't worry, I'll call you or Rocky."

"Good, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye."

Zora let her phone drop to the ground. She looked around the room, not really seeing what she was looking at, as she was reliving that day in her mind once more. A few more tears ran down her cheeks as she laid back on the couch, turning to her side. Still unaware of the four pairs of eyes watching her she finished the sentence she tried to let out earlier.

"It should've happened to me."

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><p><strong><em>Okay, so I wasn't totally fond of this chapter... meh. But then again, that's just me, plus I'm still fighting off this cold. So let me know what you think and I shall give you cookies and... *gasp* milk! xD<em>**


	5. Chapter 4

**_Alrighty then! I finally had time to get another chapter written, and I at least know what's going to happen in the next two chapters after this, so I think we're good for now :) Anyway, a special thanks to my awesome reviewers - Vernie, Glee Clue Rock 1251, RogueRecruit, CCSmile, and kfodom! Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate it like you wouldn't know! So, onto the next chapter! :D_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4:<strong>

Nico was at a loss for words. He couldn't remember ever seeing Zora as upset as she was then. Not when Mandy left the show, not when Wesley ended up liking Sonny instead of her, not even when her snake died. The girl he and his friends were looking at, curled up on the couch in the dressing room, was broken version of their friend. Nico looked at the others, who were also at a loss for words. Sonny finally moved from her spot, Nico followed as well as Grady and Tawni.

They all sat in different spots in the Prop House. Sonny and Tawni took the couch, Grady sat in the recliner, and Nico sat in one of the video game chairs. They sat in silence for what seemed like a long time, but was really only a couple of minutes. Grady was the first to make any noise. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Um, what do you think she meant... wishing it happened to her?"

Tawni shook her head. "I have no idea. But, I have a feeling it wasn't something good."

"She mentioned a woman," Nico said, remembering Zora's end of the conversation. "A Mrs. Tooney? Do you think she might have something to do with why Zora's not herself?"

"I would think so," Sonny said. "She mentioned something about feeling guilty thinking about her or seeing her."

"But why does she feel guilty?" Tawni asked.

"I don't know."

"Do you think something happened to his Mrs. Tooney and it was somehow connected with Zora?" Nico asked.

"Probably," Tawni said. "She did say something about it not being 'our fault' so maybe her brother was involved with whatever happened too."

Grady sighed. "Looks like we might not figure out what's going on."

"Well, it's only been a day Grady," Sonny said. "Not even a full day. But Zora does seem pretty disturbed..."

Nico nodded in agreement. He didn't look at any of his friends, only at the floor. He racked his brain about what possibly could be bothering their younger friend. Nothing came to mind though. He couldn't think of what could bother Zora that much. An accident happening to this Mrs. Tooney woman didn't seem like enough, unless the accident was really bad. Like one that caused the woman in question to be paralyzed or something of that matter.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I think we need to figure out what's going on," Sonny said. "This is something that's obviously too much for Zora to handle. She needs us."

"But she's trying to act as if everything's okay," Grady said with a frown. "I don't think she wants us to know what's going on."

"Of course she doesn't," Sonny said. "Look, she may not want us to know what's going on, but if we're going to be good friends, we're going to have to be there for her, and to do that, we need to know what's going on. I'm not saying we're going to 'Sonny It Up,' we're just going to somehow let her know that if she needs to talk about anything, we're here for her. And hopefully, she'll open up to us soon."

Nico nodded. "Yeah, I'm with Sonny. If we can just show her we got her back, she might feel more comfortable about telling us what's going on."

Sonny smiled. "So? Tawni, Grady? What do you think?"

"Sounds like the best thing we can do," Tawni said.

Grady nodded. "Yeah. I'm for it."

The four exchanged small smiles with each other. Nico felt a small weight lifted from his shoulders because they finally knew how to handle this new Zora. They may have only been around her for less than a day, but seeing Zora this way was nerve-wracking to Nico. He smiled again, feeling that soon everything would be okay. Or at least he hoped so.

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><p><strong><em>Okay, I'm sorry it was short again. There wasn't much to say in the chapter. I'm hoping the next two will be longer, but I guess we'll see what happens, right? So thanks for all the alerts, favorites and reviews! I hope to see my inbox spammed with more of them! :D<em>**

**_Peace out suckhas!_**

**_(I know, it's unoriginal, but yeah...)_**


	6. Chapter 5

_**Okay, I seriously apologize for the 6-month hiatus I unexpectedly took from writing this story. Part was writer's block, but the other part was college. But... I am 8 days away from finishing my final classes for my degree, so I'm BACK! Hopefully, I can update this one regularly. I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed, and I totally understand if you stop reading this since I was gone for a long time. But I hope anyone who is reading this story enjoys it! ... even though it's kinda depressing... :\ Yeah... anyway, onto the chapter!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5:<strong>

Rocky laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It's all he'd been doing while he was home for the last week. Since Zora left, he didn't hang out with Clyde or Marty much after school. Three weeks later and the incident still laid heavy in the atmosphere around the friends. He knew it was still with Zora. He'd talked to her every night since she went back to Hollywood, and every night Rocky had to talk her out of coming back home.

His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone ringing. After taking a minute to find the device, Rocky picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Rocky, it's Clyde."

He could sense the panic in his friend's voice. "What's wrong?"

"It's about Marty..."

**_xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx_**

Sonny sat next to Tawni at the counter in the Prop House. She silently watched her friends in the room. Nico and Grady were battling it out on a new video game they had gotten, and Zora sat on the couch, in her own world. Sonny's heart dropped as she watched the younger girl, so lost in her own thoughts. Zora had still not opened up about whatever happened during her vacation, but no one forced anything out of her, though they were very worried.

Each day after they returned to set from lunch, Zora returned looking like she had just been crying. Sonny was not sure why, but she did know that Zora talked to her brother during their lunch break. She could only guess that the siblings talked about their vacation, and the incident that changed the quirky girl.

A ringtone was heard, bringing Sonny from her thoughts. The four 18 year olds looked at Zora, who was taking her phone from her pocket. As it had been for the past week, the 15 year old was unaware of her friends watching her with concern.

"Hey Rocky, what's up?"

Nico and Grady, being the closest to Zora, could hear the muffled voice of her friend, though they could not tell what he was saying. They could however, as well as the two other girls in the room, tell that whatever he was saying wasn't good, as Zora's expression changed immediately.

"What? They can't do that to him! It was an accident! ... But they _don't have_ any proof! ... Yeah, but the rest of us didn't really like George either..."

Though they were the furthest from her, Sonny and Tawni could see tears springing up in their friend's eyes. The girls exchanged glances.

"...She can't do that to him. I know Marty doesn't have the best track record, but she should know he'd... _we'd_ never do that. ... Fine, but keep me posted about it, okay? ... Thanks Rocky. Bye."

The four watched as their friend re-pocketed her phone, and as she had been doing often for the last week, walk out of the room without a word.

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><p><em><strong>So thanks for reading! I really appreciate those who read, and I really, REALLY appreciate knowing what you think of it... so please leave a review!(:<strong>_


	7. Chapter 6

_**So thanks everyone who read the last chapter! It was a little discouraging to see no reviews... :\ but I know that's sorta my fault for not having updated in six months. But... I have the next few chapters planned, so it's just a matter of me having time to write... and I'm done with school on Friday, so I'll have more time :D So... here's the next chapter!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 6:<strong>

After all the depression she had felt during the last three weeks, the anger Zora felt after her phone call was refreshing in a way. At least now she knew she was still capable of having other emotions. She dropped onto the couch in the dressing room and let out a scream into the pillows.

Nothing was fair anymore. At least not that Zora could see. It wasn't fair that Marty was being convicted for something that was an accident. It wasn't fair that _only_ Marty was being convicted. It certainly wasn't fair that Zora was there, in Hollywood still living her dream while George...

Rolling to her side, Zora let the heaviness in her eyes take over. She hadn't been getting much sleep. Nightmares haunted her every night. She knew they would come again if she let herself fall asleep right then, but her body and mind were begging for rest. Slowly, Zora found herself becoming less aware of her surroundings as she drifted into sleep...

**_xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx_**

_George looked warily at the boat. "Uh, are there any life-jackets?" _

_"I don't think we'll need them," Clyde said with a laugh. _

_"You gotta live life on the edge," Marty said clapping George on the back. _

_"But, I-I can't swim."_

_Zora and Millie exchanged glances. Zora approached the boy. "Don't worry about it. Look at how calm the river is. The only way anyone would fall out is if you got pushed out."_

_"Yeah... I guess you're right."_

**_xxxxx_**

_"Guys, we have a problem," Rocky said looking ahead._

_"Oh shit," Marty said following his best friend's gaze. "Rapids."_

_Sam glanced at Millie, then to his brother. "It must be because of all the rain earlier this week."_

_Marty looked at everyone in the boat. "Hold on tight. Me, Rock, and Clyde will try to keep the boat as steady as we can." They approached the start of the fast-moving water. "Okay, hang on!"_

_Keeping the boat steady was not an option. They rocked violently, and the three older boys did their best to keep the boat from hitting any large rocks. Their effort wasn't enough. Upon impact, everyone jerked from their spots. It was a miracle that the boat didn't crack like the Titanic. The next thing Zora felt was water surrounding her entire body, followed by pain in her right leg. She faintly heard her name being yelled as she surfaced, gagging on the water that entered her mouth. _

_The sharp pain was accompanied by a burning in her leg. As she struggled to keep her head above the water, Zora saw another person fall into the water. The last person she wanted to see fall in._

_"George!"_

_The rapids were coming to an end, though Zora was finding it harder to stay at the surface of the water. She could hear yelling and splashing each time she surfaced, but she couldn't get herself to focus on where everyone was. One last time she went under, she found it near impossible to get her leg to kick herself back up. As everything was beginning to fade, she felt a pair of arms pulling her..._

_"Zora...wake up." _

"Zora!"

Zora's eyes popped open. She was still in the studio. Her eyes found Grady sitting on the table in front of her, concern filling his eyes.

"Sorry for yelling, but you weren't waking up," he said.

"It's okay," she said, surprised that she could even find her voice.

"You okay?"

Zora sat up, letting her heart-rate return to normal. She nodded. "Just... a bad dream. I'm fine."

Grady gave a nod, still looking at her with worry. "Well, uh, I came to get you for rehearsal. Everyone else is already on the stage."

She nodded once more and stood up. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor as she walked to the stage with Grady, trying to force the remaining images of that day out of her mind.

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><p><strong><em>I hope you liked it. You know what helps? Yep, reviews! I just really appreciate knowing what you think about the story. So thanks for reading and I hope you'll review!(:<em>**


	8. Chapter 7

_**Hello again! I come with great news! I FINISHED MY CLASSES! So I will be receiving my associate's degree, and I will not be in school again until July :) More time to write! So I want to thank kfodom for reviewing. I was happy to see at least one. I hope you all are liking this story.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 7:<strong>

Rehearsal was not going well for the first time since the cast had returned. Marshall drew his attention to the struggling 15 year old. Though he didn't see the teens outside of the studio, he knew something was up with Zora; that something had happened to change the girl's behavior dramatically. And he too, was equally worried about her. He had watched the teens grow up over the years, especially Zora, who had only been 9 when he cast her for the show. He had to give her credit though, up until that day, she hadn't let her acting be affected by whatever she was dealing with. He knew this particular rehearsal was going to be tough; when she had walked in with Grady, she was not carrying the show-face she kept up for rehearsals.

"Okay, that was good kids," Marshall had never broken the habit of calling them 'kids' though they all were now young adults. "Let's take a break for now."

The teens on the stage all knew why he had called for a break, but without a word they all went and sat in the seats that were occupied by fans during the live taping of their show. Grady in particular watched Zora with concern, knowing the reason she was unable to keep her show-face on for rehearsal. He thought back to when he saw her sleeping on the couch, he could tell then that it wasn't a peaceful sleep. Before she admitted having a bad dream, he knew she was having one.

He felt someone nudge his shoulder. He looked at his three friends to his right.

"G, any idea what's bothering Zora?"

Grady nodded. "When I went to get her, she was sleeping, and she was having a bad dream."

"Think it has anything to with what happened when she was home?" Tawni asked, glancing at the young brunette who sat further away from the four.

"I'm not sure, but probably," Grady said. "She didn't really say anything about it."

"It had to have been." Sonny looked from Zora to her friends. "This is the first time since we came back that she's messed up in rehearsals. I just hope she doesn't feel too bad that Marshall called for a break..."

Tawni stood up. "I'll go try to talk to her."

Grady watched, as well as Nico and Sonny, as Tawni went over to Zora to talk. Tawni had come a long way since Grady first met her. In fact, for the first few years of the show Tawni had not truly cared for being friends with her cast-mates, or at least she wouldn't admit it. But back then she certainly wouldn't try to help anyone who was feeling down. After Sonny came to the show, that changed. Sonny became Tawni's first true best friend, and she formed a bond with the others as well - especially Zora.

Grady always had an older brother to look up to, to talk to. Their relationship was rocky at times, but all brothers fought every now and then. Nico had his older sister who he was very close to, and Zora had her brother Clyde. Tawni was an only child, and never had any type of special bond with someone. Granted Sonny didn't have siblings either, but she and her friend Lucy were practically sisters and she had a lot of cousins she was close to.

Tawni came back a few minutes later, giving a small smile to her friends who looked at her expectantly. "She wouldn't say much. She said that she wants to talk to us, but it's still hard for her to."

"As long as she knows we're here for her," Sonny said.

"She does. I just hope she'll be able to open up to us soon."

* * *

><p><em><strong>I wasn't really sure how to end that chapter... but yeah. I'm hoping they'll get better as I keep writing. I'm still trying to get back into it, lol. So I hope you like it and that maybe I'll see some reviews? :) Thanks! :D<strong>_


	9. Chapter 8

_**So thanks for the reviews and subscriptions and the like! I apologize again for not updating sooner. I had an accident at work and a month later I'm still recovering from it. So I hope to get back on this story and keep updating! Meanwhile, enjoy this chapter :)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: <strong>

_"Hey, you know that fat kid George, who they keep holding back from graduating middle school?" Rocky asked as he, Clyde, Zora, and Marty walked out of a pizza parlor._

_Marty took a bite of his pizza. "Yeah, I hate that guy."_

_"He beat up Sam."_

_"No."_

_"Are you serious?" Zora asked. Rocky nodded._

_Clyde swallowed a mouthful of pizza and looked at his sister and friends. "Hey, you know when we were at Rollins, that crazy kid chased me across the field and cracked my head open with a bat."_

_"Finally, an explanation," Marty said while Rocky laughed. _

_"Yeah, anyway..."_

_"I say we smoke that ham," Marty said. _

_"He's not worth it," Rocky said, taking a bite of pizza._

_"I'm with Rocky," Zora said. "Screw that kid. He's a bully."_

_"Yeah, you'd love to do that, wouldn't you Zo?" _

_Zora shoved Marty toward Rocky, both boys laughing. "Gross!"_

_Once he stopped laughing, Marty looked at his best friend. "Seriously though Rock, you gotta do something. You can't just let that pork-chop beat up your brother and get away with it."_

_"Aah, I don't know." He looked toward the street then back at his friends. "I'll think about it. I'll see you later."_

_**xxxXXXxxxXXXxx**  
><em>

_The four teens sat in Marty's car, outside of the park they had been at that day. Rocky had just told them his plan to get back at George for beating up his brother. _

_"So what you do you say?"_

_"I think it's a totally wild plan," Marty said with a smug smile._

_Rocky laughed. "It's also the only one my brother would agree to." He looked into the rearview mirror at the siblings who sat in the back. "So what do you think you two? Wanna give Georgie-Porgie a little taste of his own medicine? Huh? It'll be some good, clean fun, don't you think?"_

_"I'm totally for it," Zora said with a smile._

_"Yeah, he deserves it, doesn't he?"_

_"If there's one thing that can't be argued, it's that that fat freak deserves whatever he's got coming to him," Marty said._

_"Yeah, he's gonna wish he never-"_

"Zora!"

Zora looked over at her friends. "Huh?"

"We asked what you think about our plan to get back at Chad's cast," Nico said.

Grady grinned. "Yeah, it's genius! They're gonna wish they never pulled that last prank on us."

Zora swallowed, thinking of her latest flashback. She shook her head. "I-I can't."

"What?"

"Zora, you're the queen of pranks," Tawni said. "How can you not want to be part of this?"

Again, the young brunette shook her head. "I just... can't. Not now."

Sonny watched her with concerned eyes. Her movements showed she was nervous about the idea of the prank, but her eyes didn't show fear. They looked guilty. Sonny looked at the others.

"You guys, I think we should just let Zora sit this one out," she said quietly. "This is obviously making her uncomfortable. And if we want her to open up, we can't push it."

"Yeah, you're right," Nico said. He and Grady walked out of the room toward the MacKenzie Falls set.

Sonny and Tawni both shared a look at their younger friend, who now became lost in her thoughts once more, and walked off to join the boys.

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><p><strong><em>Reviews = smiles(:<em>**


	10. Chapter 9

_**Hey, thanks for the reviews CDCTheRandomWizard23 and kfodom! This chapter completely came out of nowhere, it was kinda awesome, lol. Uh... so anyway, I hope you enjoy :) Oh, and if anyone has any guesses about what's going on, just mention it in a review or PM me(:**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9:<strong>

Zora winced as she touched the bruise on her leg. It was the first time she wore shorts since that day at the river. The scar where the gash had been was fading, but still noticeable. The bruise wasn't as quick to fade. It had just started to turn that yellowish green color, and was still very sensitive.

She heard footsteps and knew what would be coming next.

"Oh my gosh!"

"Z, what happened to your leg?"

There it was.

Zora looked at the teens who sat down in different spots of the Prop House. "It happened back on vacation. Long story short, my leg had an unfortunate collision with a sharp rock that left a nasty gash."

"Well, if it looks that bad now," Nico said, "it must've been _real_ painful when it happened."

"It was. It was so bad that I almost dr-" Zora stopped, clearing her throat. "-passed out, from the pain. I actually couldn't walk on it too much for about a week."

She looked away, not seeing her friends glance at each other curiously. She had almost told them. Not that she didn't want to, but something made her stop. The night before, she had finally felt like she could talk about it with her friends, until her brother called her.

_"Hey Clyde, how did the trial go?" she had asked when she picked up the phone._

_"It didn't."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"It never happened. Marty disappeared."_

_"What!"_

_"I don't know. Rocky thinks he ran away. His car is gone and his brother said he never got home the last night."_

_"I-I can't believe this is happening..."_

Needless to say, now that Zora's mind was on Marty, she fell right back to where she started. She would probably never be ready to tell her friends what happened. At least not until Marty was found, and was proven innocent for what happened.

Footsteps were heard that made the five teenagers in the room look at the doorway. Marshall appeared with a note in his hand.

"Zora, there's someone looking for you. A Mr. Blank."

Zora's eyes widened. She stood up as more footsteps were heard and a moment later, there he stood.

"Marty!"

She practically jumped into her friends arms upon seeing the boy. He was taken aback, but hugged her just as tightly as she did to him. "I knew you'd be glad to see me," he laughed.

"Glad? Try extremely ecstatic! After Clyde told me you were gone.."

"I know, I'm sorry," Marty said. "But there was no way I was staying to get in trouble for something I didn't do."

Zora nodded. "I know. But, you know that now you'll get in trouble for skipping town to avoid the trial."

"I figured," Marty said. "But I think you know why I came looking for you, right?" Zora slightly shook her head. "Well, I was kinda hoping you'd have an idea to prove that I didn't do it."

Zora looked at her feet. She knew her friends were listening, and would probably question her later. She would at least have to introduce Marty to them after, but there was no way she'd talk about this in front of them. She looked back up at her friend. "Later," she said quietly. "When we go back to my place. We'll try to figure something out. And we can let Clyde and Rocky know that you're okay."

* * *

><p><strong><em>And... that's all folks!<em>**

**_...for now._**

**_Please review!(:_**


	11. Chapter 10

_**Thanks once again to kfodom and CDCTheRandomWizard23 for reviewing! So fun fact here, I've been addicted to Sims 3 for the past week, and I actually have one game going with the SWAC characters. I'm such a nerd :P lol. Anyway... enjoy the chapter! :)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10:<strong>

Clyde snapped his cell shut and looked at his three friends. "Marty's in Hollywood."

"What?"

"How do you know?"

"That was Zora," Clyde explained. "She said he showed up at the studio earlier this morning."

"Why'd he go there?" Millie asked.

"I'm not really sure."

Rocky spun in his desk chair. "Well, he obviously didn't want to go to the trial yesterday."

"Well, yeah," Sam said. "But he probably knew Zora would tell us he's there."

"He probably wasn't running away entirely," Rocky said. "Zora's smart. I bet Marty thinks that she'll be able to figure out a way to prove that what happened to George was an accident."

"There's no way we can prove that," Millie said. "The police want hard evidence."

"Like I said, Zora's smart," he looked at the other Lancaster in the room, "if anyone knows how to get Marty out of this, it's her."

**_xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx_**

Zora returned to the studio and found her friends in the Prop House. She took a seat on the video-game chair. "Sorry about that. I didn't expect Marty to show up here."

"It's okay Z," Nico said.

"Is he the friend that gets into trouble a lot?" Tawni asked.

Zora shifted in her chair. "Yeah."

"Hot."

"Really Tawni?"

"Really Sonny." Tawni tucked her hair back. "You know I have a thing for bad-boys."

"Well, as much as I think Marty would love to have you hit on him," Zora said. "I really don't think now would be the time to do that..."

"Why is he here anyway?" Grady asked. "I mean, you obviously didn't know he was coming..."

"He needs my help," Zora said, looking away from her friends. "But, I'm not sure if I'll be able to."

"Is there anything we can do, maybe?" Sonny asked.

Zora shook her head. "Not really. Just, be easy on him," she looked directly at Nico and Grady. Her eyes resting on Grady longer than Nico. They had always been wary of Marty, knowing of his repuation. Sure, they were only looking out for Zora, but sometimes they took it too far. "I don't think bringing up his 'bad-boy' image and harassing him will help right now."

Her friends nodded.

"Whatever we can do to help."

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><p><strong><em>So...<em>**

**_Review? _**

**_Please?_**

**_I'll be your best friend :)_**


	12. Chapter 11

_**And thanks to kfodom and CDCTheRandomWizard23 for reviewing! You two are my official best friends now! lol. I am on a roll with this fic! Good thing too, because I want to start posting another SWAC fic called **_**Between You and Me, and Sonny?**_**. So yeah, enjoy!(:**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11:<strong>

"This is insane!" Marty sat up on Zora's bed. "I might as well go back and take the punishment."

Zora turned to him in her chair. "No. You're not going back until we figure this out. You even said 'you've always got to go with the best idea you've got.'"

"Yeah, but we don't have a plan!"

"Yes, we do. You stay here with me until we find out how to prove you're innocent."

Marty stood up. "This isn't going to work! They're going to come looking for me Zora. Then what?" He sat down, hanging his head. "Let's face it, we're screwed. _I'm_ screwed."

Zora shook her head. "I'm not giving up on this. If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to help prove that what happened was an accident."

"That's just it," Marty looked up at her. "It _wasn't_ an accident. We _planned_ to get back at him. We _planned_ for him to out there with us."

"But we called off the plan, _remember_?"

_**xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**_

_"I wanna call off the plan," Sam said to his brother and friends. _

_"What?"_

_"Are you kidding?"_

_Sam glanced over at George, who was talking to Millie by the boat at their rest stop. "Yeah, George is being really nice. He's not such a bad guy."_

_"He's acting like a nice guy Sam," Rocky said. "In reality, he's not."_

_"Yeah," Clyde said. "Don't forget he beat you up."_

_"The only reason he's being nice is because he sees this as an opportunity to get something."_

_"To get friends," Sam said. "Everyone wants that."_

_"Okay, so what if you were his friend?" Rocky said. "I mean, he'd still go around school beating everyone else up."_

_"I don't care what you say. I don't wanna do it."_

_Zora looked at Sam, then to her brother and friends. "I hate to say this, but Sam's right. We have to call off the prank."_

_"What? Not you too Zor," Marty said._

_"You can't be serious sis."_

_"I am. Look, maybe if George actually had some friends, he wouldn't beat kids up," Zora said. "I'm not saying we have to go over there and suddenly love him, but I think we should give him a chance."_

_"Well, I don't know," Clyde said. "What do you guys think?"_

_Rocky sighed. "I guess so. Marty?"_

_"Fine. But if he puts on foot out of line, the plan's back on."_

**_xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx_**

"Yeah so? But he was still out there because of us," Marty said.

Zora stood up. "Marty, you don't get it. If the rapids were never there, this wouldn't have happened. That was out of our control."

"I realize that, but that's not going to convince the judge." Marty laid back on the bed. "Face it, the only way I'm going to get out of this is if we had a time machine."

Zora looked at him for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. Then her eyes widened. "Marty... that's it!"

He lifted his neck to look at her. "You know I was being sarcastic, right?"

Zora sat on the bed, smiling for the first time in weeks. "No Marty, George's camera! He had it recording before we hit the rapids. I'll bet the whole thing's on it!"

"Oh my God, you're right!" He frowned. "One question, how the hell are we going to convince the police to look for it? After all, I skipped town, so as soon as I set foot back there I'm screwed."

"I guess you'll just have to go and find it before you talk to the police." She paused. "No, _we're_ going to have to find it."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Please leave a review! <em>**

**_If you do, you're awesome!_**

**_And I'll do a happy dance(:_**


	13. Chapter 12

_**Thanks again to kfodom for reviewing. I'm sorry I posted before CDCTheRandomWizard23 had a chance to review, but I couldn't wait to post this chapter, lol. But honestly, it's because of you two that I started to continue this story. And now I actually have written all the way up to chapter 15. I'm getting close to the end, which I have finally figured out, lol. I'd say that after chapter 15 there's probably only two more. That's kinda depressing, but I'll be happy to have a finished story, instead of leaving it there, unfinished. And I'm rambling... I'm gonna shut up and let you enjoy the chapter :)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12:<strong>

Grady walked down the hall of the studio in search of their youngest friend. She hadn't spent much time with them outside of rehearsal because of Marty. She spent all her free time trying to help them. Grady couldn't help but hate how she talked openly with Marty, but not any of them. He knew she and Marty had known each other since they were toddlers, but still, she was just as good as friends with the cast as she was with him.

He paused and took a few backwards steps so that he was outside the doorway of the girls' dressing room. He caught a glimpse of Zora and Marty sitting on couch. Without making noise, Grady moved a little closer to the doorway, hiding himself from view.

"So, Rocky and Clyde are going to meet us at the river tomorrow," Marty said. "And they didn't tell Sam or Millie 'cause, well, you know they'd try to have us get the police to go look for it instead."

"Right, and we'll leave right after I get out of rehearsal," Zora said.

"And you're sure about this? I mean, leaving?"

"Marty, I really need to." There was a pause. "Being back here has been anything but easy."

"And you're not going to tell your friends?"

Another pause. "I-I can't. Not in person, anyway. I'll leave a note explaining that I have to go back with you."

"And that you'll be back."

"Maybe."

Marty sighed. "Well, I'm not gonna force you to come back after this is done. That's your choice." He stood up. "I'm gonna head back to your place. I should get a few hours of rest before the drive. I'll see you later."

Grady backed away from the dressing room, rounding the corner as to not be seen by Marty as he left. He heard Marshall over the PA system calling the cast to the set, so he wouldn't have time to talk to Zora right away. He'd just have to make sure he caught her directly after rehearsals.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. <strong>_

_**Leave a review?(:**_

**_Oh, and maybe I'll post again later tonight. Seeing as I have more chapters ready to go! ;)_**


	14. Chapter 13

_**Ah, chapter 13... I really enjoyed writing this one. I actually never planned this chapter originally, but hey, it happened. So, once again, thanks kfodom for reviewing! :) Sorry I'm not really giving others a chance to review, but I finished writing the story today and I'm anxious to post, lol. I'm also pretty wired right now. I feel like I could stay up until 3 or 4am (it's 12:50am right now where I live). Soooo... this chapter is kinda short, but... you'll enjoy it :)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13:<strong>

Zora took the envelope out of her backpack. It would explain everything to her friends, including the things she couldn't tell them over the last few weeks. She didn't want to leave it like this, but she had to go back. She knew she was more or less just running from facing her friends, but she couldn't do it. She didn't think she'd ever be able to.

The sound of the door closing startled her. With wide eyes she looked to the doorway. Grady stood there.

"Grady, you scared me. I thought you left already."

He didn't say a word as he walked toward her. He stopped just in front of her, his blue eyes looking directly into her brown ones. "Don't go."

"W-What?"

"Don't go," he repeated. "I heard you and Marty earlier. Zor, you can't leave."

"I _have_ to do this. Marty needs me."

"_We_ need you."

Zora shook her head, looking away from him now. "Grady, don't do this. It's hard enough just being here. You guys are better off if I leave."

"No we're not," Grady said. "Look, we don't know what's been going on, but we're here for you. Whatever you need us for-"

"I need you to understand that I have to leave."

"-Anything except that. We want to help you get through whatever this is you're trying to deal with."

"You guys don't even know what it is..."

"Exactly. So tell us." Grady placed his hands on her shoulders. She tensed at the sudden touch. "Just tell us."

"I can't. I want to, but I can't. Not in person." She looked at the envelope she still held. She held it out for him to take. His hands moved off her shoulders and took the envelope. "You guys would've found this in the morning anyway. It explains everything. What really happened on my vacation."

"I'm not gonna read this," Grady said. "Not unless you stay."

"Grady..." Her eyes caught his. She backed away one step. "I-I got to go. Marty's waiting for me. I'm so-"

Her breath caught, feeling the sudden pressure of Grady's lips on her own. Her mind went blank as her eyes closed. She opened them a few seconds later to find his looking right back at her. His right arm still held her left. Her mind returning to earth, she pulled away from him. Grabbing her bag, she quickly made her exit.

"Bye Grady."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Probably didn't see that coming, did ya? <strong>_

_**Well, maybe you did. I don't know. I can't read your mind. But that would be amazing if I could. **_

_**Amazing, and creepy :D**_

_**So, please review? **_

_**'Cause you're all so awesome!(:**_


	15. Chapter 14

_**Yeah, so this was officially the longest chapter in the whole story... I think. Anyway, it actually didn't take me long to write this one, I pretty much knew everything that I was going to write down right away. So... thanks kfodom for reviewing! I hope you all enjoy :)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14:<strong>

It felt like hours that he stood there, stunned. She was gone. She actually left. And she wasn't coming back. Grady looked at the envelope in his hand. His hands shaking, he opened it, pulling out the papers inside. There was an article printed off the internet, and notebook paper with Zora's handwriting. He looked at the article first. The headline was not one he had been expecting.

**'Local Teen Drowns on Boating Trip."**

**George Tooney, 15, drowned yesterday afternoon on a fork of the Willamette River. He was out on a boat trip with Marty Blank (18), Sam Merrick (12), Rocky Merrick (17), Millie Schroeder (12), Zora Lancaster (15), and Clyde Lancaster (17). The teens reported that they came to a patch of rapids where two of the teens were thrown off the boat, George, who was unable to swim, was one of them. The other was Zora Lancaster, who reportedly injured her leg, causing trouble to stay afloat.**

**"Zora was thrown off almost as soon as we hit the rapids," Rocky explained. "We saw her resurface, but the current [and her leg, but we didn't know that then] were pulling her under. I jumped in to help her. I didn't realize that George had fallen off right before I jumped."**

**Clyde, one of the two boys trying to keep the boat steady, stated, "Marty and I tried to get the boat over to George. He was able to keep his head above the water for a while, but then he suddenly went under, and didn't come back up. When we found him, it was too late."**

**The teens reported that upon finding George, he was lying face down in the water. They brought him to land where Millie performed CPR on the boy, but with no avail. **

**A memorial service will be held for George on Friday.**

Grady was suddenly aware that he was breathing heavier than before. His hands still shaking, no more so than before he read the article, he held the paper with Zora's handwriting to read.

_'I'm sorry you guys have to find out this way, but by the time you get this, I'll be gone. Marty and I are going back home. We found out how we can prove that what happened to George was an accident, and that Marty didn't intend for this to happen. I don't know if you read the article yet, but if you didn't, you should before continuing._

_So assuming you read the article, now you know what's been bothering me these past few weeks. But that's not the whole story. This wasn't just one of those freak accidents that we hear about on the news. The whole trip was a set-up. A prank. We were planning on getting back at George for beating up Rocky's brother, Sam. It was supposed to be harmless. Just something to humiliate him and teach him a lesson for messing with Sam. But we never went through with it. We stopped on a bank to take a break and eat, and by then we had learned some things about George. He wasn't as bad as we always thought he was, so we decided to call off the plan and just enjoy the day on the river._

_But then we hit the rapids. Like you read in the article, I was the first one to fall off the boat. When I did, my leg hit a rock at the bottom of the river (that was the bruise you saw the other day). The rapids were bad enough, but trying to stay above the surface with the pain in my leg was impossible. I hadn't even realized George had fallen off the boat, as I couldn't stay up. I only know what the guys told me after I woke up. Rocky did in fact jump off after I fell to help me. He told me that when he got to me, I was out. By the time I came to, George was gone._

_This whole time I've been struggling with the fact that if it weren't for our stupid plan to get back at George, he would still be alive. I've also been having a hard time with the fact that _**_only_**_ George died, or that it was him and not me. We knew that George couldn't swim well, if not at all, but no one was able to help him. I get mad at my brother, Marty, and Rocky at times because I know they should've tried to save him when he fell off. I know that the rapids were strong, and they had to look out for Sam and Millie, but I still get mad. _

_Anyway, that's pretty much the whole thing, up until George's mom accused Marty of purposely letting George drown, as she was aware that he was not well liked by any teens in town; Marty most of all. That's why Marty came here, and we finally figured out how to prove he's innocent. George brought his camera on the trip, and it was recording when we hit the rapids. Hopefully, it was still on when he fell off, so that the police and Mrs. Tooney can see that it was all an accident. And this is assuming the camera still works. It's a long shot, but we have to try. _

_I guess I should also tell you guys, I'm not coming back. I've tried so hard to move on from this, but I can't. Maybe I will eventually, but right now, I just can't do it. I know you guys would want me to stay and that you'd try to help me with this, instead of me leaving, and that's why I wrote this note. It's still hard for me to go on like we didn't have some fault to this whole thing. And you'll hate me for saying this, but I also hate that I'm still here, getting to live my Hollywood life while George is dead. I think it's just best if I stay at home once we get there. Again, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. Just do me a favor, and keep So Random in the number one spot._

_Love,_

_Zora'_

Grady realized that at some point while he read that, he sat down on the couch. He knew that whatever happened was bad, but he had never expected this. Zora was really going through more than they had imagined.

He knew that his friends would all be in the middle of dinner, and that they, including himself, weren't supposed to know about this until the next morning, but it couldn't wait. They had to know. Grady pulled his cell from his pocket and sent a mass-message to the three.

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><p><strong><em>Believe it or not, I actually had to go to sleep after writing that chapter, lol. It really tired me out. But that could've been because it was 2am :p <em>**

**_So, be awesome and review! :D_**

**_It's getting close to the end!_**


	16. Chapter 15

_**Sooooooooo, thanks to kfodom for your review! Again, the reviews are what keep me going... even though I've finished writing this story... :P But it makes me want to write more of them, so yeah. Anyway, I'm not ramble... so you all can just read the chapter :)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15:<strong>

She watched out the window as the trees whipped by. Her mind was still back in the studio. She wondered if Grady had read the note yet, and if he did, did he call the others? Or was he going to wait to show it to them? She wondered what all their reactions would be. She knew they'd be shocked, for one.

"Zor, you okay?" She turned to Marty, his eyes still on the road. He glanced over at her quickly. "You've been really quiet since we left."

"It was just really hard to leave," Zora said. Marty nodded. They went quiet again, both going into thought.

"Grady was there," she said, glancing at Marty.

"Did he know what we were up to?"

"Yeah. He heard us talking earlier this morning." She looked out the passenger window. "He tried to stop me."

Her thoughts went back to those few minutes in the dressing room. Grady pleading for her to stay. Those few minutes had seemed like hours to her.

"Must've been real hard to leave then," Marty said. Zora only nodded, not able to say anything. He shifted his right arm from the wheel and held it with his left. "You're really not going back?"

"No. Believe me, I want to, but to be completely honest, I'm afraid of what their reactions will be to all of this. That's why I left the note. At least now they'll know what happened."

"I don't think your friends would think anything bad about this," Marty said. He sighed. "But I do get what you're saying. School's been tough. It's like everyone looks at me and the guys differently."

"I know. That's why I can't go back," Zora said. "That would just drive me over the edge."

"I know." Marty switched his arms once more. "Hey, why don't you try to get some sleep. We've still got a ways to go before we even get to Oregon."

Zora only nodded once more, still not wanting to say any more. She knew she'd need energy for when they got to the river. Finding that camera would not be a piece of cake.

_**xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx**_

"So, she's really gone then?" Nico said after reading the note with Tawni and Sonny.

"Yeah." Grady sat down. "I couldn't even stop her. I didn't try hard enough."

"You did what you could Grady," Sonny said.

Tawni nodded. "You did. I mean, you said that you _kissed _her and she still left."

"Which still amazes me," Sonny said. She looked at the note she held. "I can't believe what she's been dealing with this whole time."

"She must realize that it wasn't their fault," Nico said. "I mean, sure, she said that they intended on pranking him, but it could have been any one of them." The girls nodded in agreement.

Tawni looked at Grady, who had been quiet the last few minutes. "Grady? You okay?"

He looked up. "No. Zora left and isn't coming back."

"We can go after her," Nico said.

"Yeah, I'm sure Chad would let us use his jet to-"

"No."

"Grady..."

The blonde stood up. "No. It's no use. She won't change her mind."

"G, you can't give up man."

Grady just shook his head. Without another word to his friends, he walked out. Before he realized it, he was at his car. He sat down in the driver's seat and put the key in the ignition, but he didn't start the car. Something caught his eye on the dash. Another small envelope, with his name on it. He opened it and read the familiar handwriting.

_'Grady,_

_I know you're probably mad at me for leaving, but you have to understand why I couldn't stay. I know that George dying was an accident, but it still hasn't changed how everyone back home reacted to the news. It's a small town, so pretty much everyone knows that we never liked George. They think we planned to hurt him. And I know that you and the others knew that Clyde and I never liked him. I can't stay because I wouldn't be able to handle knowing that you guys might feel different about me. Especially you. We've gotten so close and you're my best friend, and I'm sorry I never told you this earlier, but I do really _**_like_**_ you. And after you kissed me, I knew I had to leave before you read the other note. I'm so sorry._

_Love, _

_Zora'_

As soon as he finished reading, Grady pulled the key out of the ignition and sat there, thinking.

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><p><strong><em>*Gasp* What's Grady gonna do now? <em>**

**_I have no idea..._**

**_Oh wait, I wrote it already. Ah, well, you all still don't know xP_**

**_Review?(:_**


	17. Chapter 16

_**So, the second-longest chapter of this story... is also the second-to-last! :O I know, it's shocking and saddening. But on the plus side, I'll be starting a new SWAC fic :D Yaaaaayyyy! *coughs* Anyway, thanks kfodom for reviewing! And I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 16:<strong>

They were wet, muddy, and tired. Just like the last time they were there. Only this time, Sam and Millie weren't with them, and they weren't dealing with a sudden death. As Rocky continued to search in the water, he couldn't help but think of that day. The last time they were here.

_Rocky pumped on her chest. Then two breaths into her mouth. More pumps. Two more breaths. He started to breath faster as he pumped for the third time. She gasped. Water came out of her mouth as she coughed. Her eyes slowly opened. He threw himself on her in a hug._

_"You're okay!"_

_"Rocky..." Her voice was weak from just waking up. He pulled away from her, helping her sit up. "Where's everyone else?"_

_He opened his mouth to say he wasn't sure, but they heard another voice. _

_"Help!" It was Clyde. "Help! Can anyone help us?"_

_Rocky helped Zora stand up, which was difficult with the gash on her leg. Something was wrong, they didn't have time to have her hobble as she leaned on him. With sore muscles from fighting the current, Rocky had Zora climb onto his back. He ran toward Clyde's voice. He found his friends, wet and muddy as he was. He stopped dead in his tracks._

_George was lying flat on his back, as white as a ghost._

_And not moving._

_He barely registered that Zora had gotten off his back and hobbled to where Millie was failing to revive the unconscious teen. Zora dropped next to the blonde girl as Sam pulled her away from the boy. _

_"Sam! Let me go! I have to revive him!"_

_Zora shook her head. "He's dead Millie." Her voice was shaky. "He's dead."_

Rocky was sitting now. His hands just aimlessly running through the water. He looked over where Zora was, knee deep in the water, looking for the camera. He could tell she wasn't really looking. Her eyes were looking past the water. She was in thought, like he had just been.

**_xxxXXXxxxXXXxxx_**

_"...There, that's 20," Rocky said. _

_Marty clapped his hands together, laughing at the answer. "Okay Rocky, it's your turn."_

_Rocky scratched his nose. "Okay, Sammy. Truth or Dare?"_

_"Dare."_

_"I dare you to French kiss Millie for ten seconds."_

_A bunch of "oohs" were heard from the grinning teens on the boat. Marty ruffled Sam's hair. _

_"It's pretty exciting."_

_Millie looked at her best friend shyly. "It's okay."_

_George glanced between the two pre-teens. "Wha-? It's okay?" He grinned at the teens. "Did you hear that? It's okay." They watched Millie scoot closer to Sam. "She wants it."_

_The two friends just sat there, looking anywhere but at each other. Marty rested his chin in his hand. _

_"This is what I paid for? Come on!"_

_"Come on!"_

_"Let's go."_

_"I want my money back."_

_Marty suddenly took the heads of the two friends sitting in front of him and pushed them toward each other, so that the two were now kissing. "Okay, there you go." Together they started counting._

_"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three-"_

_Rocky motioned for them to stop. They watched as the two kept kissing after the ten seconds was up. They suddenly pulled apart, blushing and smiling. The teens just laughed at the flustered friends. _

_"Alright Sammy, it's your turn," Marty said. _

_George laughed. "Wait, wait. Maybe we shouldn't call him 'Sammy' anymore. Maybe we should call him, 'lover-boy.' Ha-ha."_

_Sammy ignored the snickers on the boat. "Okay then." He searched for his victim. "Zora, truth or dare."_

_"Dare," she smiled._

_"Okay, since Rocky got a kick out of it," Sam said. "I dare you to make-out with Rocky for a whole minute."_

_Laughter once again filled the boat, along with a couple of 'ohhhs' from George, Millie, and Marty. Rocky and Zora looked at each other, and Rocky scooted closer to her, before closing the space between them and kissing her. Sam was a little shocked that there was no embarrassment between the two before they began kissing. After a minute passed, the teens pulled apart, and went back to sitting as though nothing had just happened. _

_"What's this?" Marty said. "No blushing? Embarrassment? I got ripped off again!"_

_George eyed the two. "Have you two been secretly dating this whole time? It's like making-out didn't even phase you."_

_"Nah, we're not dating," Rocky said. "It's just not a big deal."_

_"There's no romantic interest between us," Zora explained. "Which is why it's not embarrassing. Unlike Sam and Millie," she added with a smirk._

_"Plus," Rocky smirked. "Zora's interested in someone else."_

_"What?"_

_"Who?"_

_"And it's my turn now," Zora said, diverting the subject. _

_"Na-uh," Marty said. "Not until you spill. Come on, is it one of your buddies from Hollywood?"_

_"Guys, seriously, let's get on with the game."_

_"You're diverting," Clyde said, poking his sister. _

_Zora sighed. "If I tell you, will you all shut up?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Sure."_

_"I'm not making any promises."_

_She rolled her eyes at Marty's comment. "Okay, whatever. I like Grady, okay? Are you all happy?"_

Zora sighed, moving more rocks that sat on the sand in the river. That was probably the one good memory she'd had from that day, and now, it just caused her to hurt. Grady had tried to stop her from leaving, she could still picture the hurt in his eyes as he tried to convince her to stay.

"Hey." Zora turned to see Rocky. "You okay? You seem distracted."

"I'm just thinking."

"Anything you wanna talk about?" He sat on a large rock, still looking at her. "You know, Marty told me you're not going back..."

"It's Grady," Zora said, looking at her friend. "He was there before I left. He tried to stop me, and I wanted to stay, so bad. But..."

Rocky shook his head. "I got it. You don't have to say anymore."

Zora gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

"Zora! Rocky! We found it!"

The two teens looked over to where Clyde was coming out of the water, a grin on his face and the camera in his left hand. Suddenly Zora felt Marty's arms from behind her wrap her into a bear hug. Rocky just grinned at her.

"It's almost over," he said.

"Zora, you're a genius. I think I love you," Marty said, still holding her from behind. His head rested on her shoulder. "You're the best."

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><p><strong><em>One more chapter to go. What do you think is gonna happen? <em>**

**_Please leave a review!(:_**


	18. Chapter 17

**_Okay, so no idea if any of you have figured it out already, or not, but the movie I crossed this story over with was Mean Creek. It's really a good movie, I suggest that you watch it, or at least check out the trailer online to see if you'd be interested. Though, I pretty much gave parts away... my bad. Oh well. It was necessary. So thanks kfodom and CDCTheRandomWizard23 for the reviews! I'm kinda sad this is the last chapter, and I hope all you readers enjoy it!_**

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: <strong>

It was so quiet, Zora swore she could hear her heart beat. She glanced at the three boys to her left. Clyde looked at the clock every 15 seconds, attempting to crack his knuckles. Marty glanced between the clock and the door, where some officers were trying to get the camera on to view the footage. Rocky, just beside her, biting his nails on one hand, was looking at the floor. His other hand held her own. Anyone who saw the two would assume they were dating. She and her friends of course knew that wasn't the case, but she found comfort having his hand holding hers. She knew he found it comforting too.

The sound of a door opening filled the silent room. Only Marty and Clyde looked at the door to their left, but there was no sign it had opened. Zora didn't bother to look. She heard the sound come from her right, meaning that someone had just come into the building.

Rocky shifted beside her, his hand gave hers a slight squeeze. "Zora..."

She looked at her friend. He was looking past her, at the main door. She turned her head to see what he was looking at. Her mouth dropped open.

"Grady?"

Feeling another squeeze on her hand from Rocky, she slipped her hand out of his and stood up. She couldn't force herself to move, she just stared at the blonde in front of her. Behind him, still behind the glass doors, she saw Sonny, Tawni, and Nico, all watching the two. She could feel the eyes of the three boys behind her watching as well.

With a slight push from Rocky, Zora was able to walk up to Grady. Her mind was racing, but she still couldn't find words to say. She was having a hard time processing that he was actually there.

She was finally able to break the silence. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't just stay there after you left," he said. "Not after I found the other note." He looked right into her eyes. "Why would you think we'd feel any different toward you?"

"Because... everyone else has," Zora said. She briefly looked down at her feet, crossing her arms. She looked at up at him. "Even my parents haven't been the same towards me and Clyde."

"Zor, you know there's nothing that could ever make us feel differently about you," Grady said, smiling softly. "Especially me." He looked around the room quickly and sighed. "Look, I don't know what's gonna happen, but I promise that if you come back with us after all this is done, we'll do all that we can to help you through this."

He watched her, knowing she was debating all of it in her head. The only sounds he could hear were the ticking of the large clock and his breathing. He made himself catch her eyes, just a few inches below his. "So..?"

He suddenly felt her against him, her arms wrapping around his body. Her face pressed against his shoulder as he held her tightly. He could see the smiles of her friends, and he couldn't help but smile himself. He knew that this was something that would stay with Zora for the rest of her life, but he knew that as long as she had those who loved her around, she would get through the hurt.

**The End.**

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><p><em><strong>I have to say, I was actually happy with my ending. It wasn't cheesy or too fluffy (I hope). I also hope that you all enjoyed this story. I just wanna say thanks to everyone who read this! :D And maybe, hopefully, you'll all go and read my new fanfic <strong>_**Between You and Me, and Sonny?**

**So again, you should at least check out the trailer for Mean Creek. It's really a good movie.**

**You know what else is a good movie? Bandslam. Yes, Bandslam. **

**See you peeps on my next fic!(:**


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